Expansion of CD3/CD16/CD56 positive NKT cells in HIV/AIDS: the pilot study.

UNLABELLED: NKT cells are a subset of lymphocytes possessing features of NK cells and T cells; they play a key role in the formation of innate immune response. Upon stimulation, rapid production of large quantities of both T(h1) and T(h2) type cytokines permits them to bridge the innate and adaptive immune responses by activating NK cells, T cells, B cells and dendritic cells. Scientific knowledge has been collecting up to date toward the definition of the role of NKT lymphocytes in HIV/AIDS setting. This direction in HIV/AIDS immunopathogenesis is relatively new and quite concerning. The objective of this study was to investigate CD3+/CD16+/CD56+ NKT cell expansion in HIV/AIDS patients and explore its association with virologic and immunologic markers of HIV infection. Retrospective analysis of 30 HIV infected patients data, taken from the database of the laboratory of clinical immunology at the Infectious Diseases, AIDS and Clinical Immunology Research Center, was conducted. RESULTS: there was slightly increased risk of higher plasma viral load related to lower NKT cell expansion. With regard to immunologic status, borderline significance between expansion of CD3/CD16/CD56 positive NKT cells and lower CD4 positive cell count was shown. However, study did not show strong associations of NKT cell expansion with either virologic or immunologic status, interestingly, all HIV/TB co infected patients where NKT cell positive, which underlines the possible role of TB in CD3+/CD16+/CD56+ NKT cell expansion phenomena in HIV infected individuals. We think these new findings may serve as prerequisite for future, larger scale research in this direction.

Relationship of neurological manifestations, CD4+ lymphocyte count and plasma viral load in HIV infected patients.

The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between the neurological manifestations of HIV infection, CD4+ lymphocyte count and the levels of HIV-1 RNA (viral load) in plasma. A total of 62 adult antiretroviral naïve HIV infected patients were enrolled in the study. Among them 26 had neurological complications of HIV infection (1st group), 16 patients had symptomatic disease without neurological involvements (2nd group) and 20 were asymptomatic patients (control group). Measurement of CD4 count was performed by indirect immunofluorescent assay by using the monoclonal antibodies and viral load (VL) in plasma--by RT PCR method. CD4 count was significantly lower in the 1st and 2nd group compared to the control group. There was correlation between the level of CD4 count and type of neurological manifestation. VL was comparable between the 1st and 2nd groups and was higher than in control group. There is a significant correlation between the level of CD4 count and type of neurological manifestation of HIV infection. Presence of neurological complication as well as other clinical manifestations is associated with decreased CD4 count and increased VL. Level of CD4 count can serve as an indicator for initiation of prophylaxis treatment of certain opportunistic pathogens.